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PETER S. WILLIAMSON, Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture: A Study of the Pontifical Biblical Commission's The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (Subsidia biblica 22; Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 2001). Pp. xxii + 400. Paper $28, euro25.28.
In this doctoral dissertation for the Gregorian University, Williamson has extracted from the 1993 document The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (IBC), composed by the Pontifical Biblical Commission (PBC) and endorsed by Pope John Paul II, twenty principles for the guidance of the Catholic exegete (see W.'s article in this issue, CBQ 65 [2003] 327-49). W. claims that these twenty principles are "complete: i.e., that there are no other principles of the same weight or level of importance to be found in the document" (p. 6). W. hopes that these principles will serve as criteria for the evaluation of the work of Catholic exegetes. W. notes that even though many of these principles are also upheld by Jewish and Protestant exegetes, he labels these twenty principles "Catholic" because of their place in the life and faith of the church as articulated in IBC. The accuracy and value of W.'s formulation of these principles is affirmed...